Jonathan Ward walks his own path from humble beginnings

With the temptation of the streets looming, Ward said he had to get out of Kankakee through his performance on the field. 

“Man, I’m ready,” he recalls thinking after his sophomore football season. “I want to do this.” 

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Attending Bishop McNamara High School, Ward’s cousin remembers him as a prize to be won. He had talent much different than other kids. He was special.

His mother, Jaymi Brooks, worked multiple jobs to help pay for Ward’s private education; she believed it was pivotal in giving him the best life possible. In order to keep him in line, Brooks turned to her grandparents Preston and Mary Williams. 

As she has done with her other four boys, Brooks took strict reign over Ward as a teenager to keep him from falling into the dark side of Kankakee. It worked to her advantage that Ward never followed the crowd.

Ward had no choice but to play sports outside, enjoy video games with friends and go to parties to dance. 

Growing up in a rough city just 60 miles south of Chicago without a father by his side, Ward was fighting temptations of the streets. But, he saw the big picture. He wanted to provide for his family. 

“It was more than just about me growing up,” Ward said, at Mid-American Conference Media Day on July 24. “I have a single mother who I’ve always dreamed of taking care of. We struggled growing up. My family deserves better.”

During Ward’s sophomore year of high school, Bishop McNamara lost to Winnebago in the second round of the playoffs. With the team down 13-6, Ward ran 67 yards down the field. A few carries later, his team was at the three-yard line for a first-and-goal. Bishop McNamara drew up three-straight passing plays for their senior quarterback. 

The last of the three throws was an interception.

Ward, as the team's "new kid" and possible best player, did not touch the ball at the end of the game even though Bishop McNamara has been known as “Tailback U” for years.

His cousin, Jursalle J. Harrison, sat him down immediately following the game. 

“Is this college football thing really what you want to do?”

Ward's answer was definitive. “Yes.”

“I helped his mom buy him workout stuff, take him to 7-on-7s and get him into camps,” Harrison said. “I did whatever I could to help him get out. The only reason he got out is because of his dedication and love for himself. I was one of the people who helped pave the way for him to get out of here.”

Harrison, upon returning from the Navy, quickly became a colossal figure in Ward’s life. As the older cousin, he more so carried the role of an uncle. Knowing how tough it is to grow up in Kankakee, Harrison was dedicated to keeping Ward on the right path. 

“A lot of kids Jonathan grew up with are dead, in jail or running around the streets,” Jursalle said. “They had just as much talent but did nothing with it.” 

One of Ward’s closest friends, Kevin Wright Jr., was killed in a shooting on his way to work on October 17, 2017. He was 19 years old. Brooks said it just as easily could have been her son if he did not have his life on the right track. 

Ward agreed. If it wasn’t for his mother, he believes he would have fallen into the streets of Kankakee. 

“I’ve got friends that I grew up with that are in prison right now,” Ward added. “They won’t be out until they are 60 years old. I got some that are dead and it easily could’ve been me. Those are the guys I stayed the night with as a kid. 

“I was blessed to pursue my dream and not get caught up in it at a young age. Once you’re in, it’s too late.” 

By the time Ward was 11 years old on the Peewee football team, both guardians knew he would be a dynamic athlete if he could keep his head on straight.  

In the Illinois 3A State Championship against Unity High School, like a movie, Ward and Harrison embraced in the middle of the field after he scored two touchdowns in a 50-7 victory.

Hugging and crying, Harrison spoke a few simple but sweet, words with his younger cousin.

“I love you, Jonathan,” he cried out. “We made it.” 

“I love you too,” Ward responded in tears. 

In 1998, Ward’s mother walked across the stage at Kankakee High School, grabbed her diploma and looked down at her newborn son. 

As a young mother, Brooks was blessed to have her grandparents, Preston and Mary, help raise Ward and play a major role in his life. The pair took him to church in order to help further his relationship with God. Even when Ward acted sick, they would drag him along.

“I wouldn’t be playing football if it wasn’t for my great-grandfather,” Ward said. “My mom couldn’t afford the fees when I was little, but he made sure I had everything I needed. He changed my life. Without him, I don’t know where I’d be.” 

At the end of Ward’s sophomore year in 2014, he received his first letter from a college regarding football - an invite to camp at the University of Michigan. At the time, Ward was speechless. 

On the same day, he received a call from his mother while he was at school. He immediately jumped into the car and rushed to the hospital. His great-grandfather Preston had passed away.

“Man, I’m not going to be able to show him,” Ward said. 

“What do you mean?” his mother responded.

Ward held up the paper – It was the letter from Michigan inviting him to a camp. 

“That took a big toll on him,” Brooks said. “Everything he is committed to doing right now is for his great-grandfather. Anything Jonathan did, he was there. Preston was the father-figure Jonathan never had.”

About 10 months later, while taking a visit to Central Michigan, Ward remembered feeling a moment of clarity when he realized Kelly/Shorts Stadium was built adjacent to Preston Street, making him think of his great-grandfather. 

“Mom, I’m going to school here,” the running back prospect said after looking up and seeing the street sign in Mount Pleasant. 

He committed to Central Michigan as a junior on April 17, 2015. 

“I don’t have a lot of it, but family is all I got,” Ward said. “Everything I do is for them.” 

His younger brothers, for example, follow his lead. 

Without having his father around, Ward has made it a priority to care for his brothers. While Brooks never made it an obligation for Ward, her son chose to become the father-figure in his home. 

“He always helped out,” Brooks said. “Them growing up, they repeat everything he does. Jonathan is their hero and role model.”

Ward taught his four brothers how to act while he was still growing up too. 

“It was tough, but it’s rewarding to see the young men they are molding in to,” Ward said. “I’m just happy to send them down the right path.” 

Jaymi has five boys and four of them play football. The closest in resemblance to Ward is 10-year-old Jaymari Harrison. Every time Jonathan returns to Kankakee, the two go at it in the backyard. 

Jaymari proudly wears Ward’s football number – 5. 

“It’s like seeing Jonathan grow up all over again,” their mother said. 

Holding the father-figure role for years and helping take care of his mother, walking Jaymi down the aisle on August 19, 2017 is one of Ward’s greatest milestones, he said.

“Giving my mother away is like life becoming how it’s supposed to be,” Ward said. “She’s doing all the things that mothers are supposed to do — getting married and having a family."

In the same way Jonathan helps lead his brothers and mother in Kankakee, he intends to carry Central Michigan throughout the 2018 season. 

During the 2017 campaign, the 6-foot, 185-pound offensive threat carried the ball 178 times for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught 48 passes for 470 yards and three scores. 

His goal this time around is to help lead CMU coach John Bonamego’s young team, win more games and perform at a higher level than ever before. 

“The stats will come,” Jonathan said. “As long as we win, I don’t care.”

Once his football career is over, Jonathan plans to make his way to the FBI. His ultimate goal is to make the world a better place, allowing children around the nation to reach their full potential. 

“There’s a lot of poison out there that’s destroying the youth, so I want to detain some of that,” he said. “Where I’m from, kids are trapped from birth.”

From the bottom of his heart, Bonamego believes that Jonathan can be anything he wants. 

“He’s a very talented kid,” the fourth-year CMU coach said. “He’s grown as a person and is very tough.

“Jonathan is special.”